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UPDATED: Victims ID'ed in triple-fatal I-10 crash (6:30 p.m.)

By Diana Alba/dalba@lcsun-news.com

Posted:
06/22/2011 05:01:21 AM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

A dark pickup truck lies in the bottom foreground Wednesday along westbound Interstate 10, mile marker 117, after it was involved in an impact with a FedEx tractor-trailer resulting in multiple fatalities, including the driver of the semi-truck.

LAS CRUCES - A crash involving a FedEx big-rig and a passenger truck claimed the lives of three people west of Las Cruces early Wednesday and shut down the highway for several hours.

A 1-year-old boy, Yajir Morga of El Paso, was the sole survivor and is in stable condition, according to state police.

Killed were the boy's mother, Mariali Venegas, 22, of El Paso and her daughter, Ylairan Morga, 4, occupants of the passenger truck. The driver of the FedEx truck, Elizabeth Quintana of El Paso, also died.

All three victims died at the scene, authorities said.

The 1-year-old was in a car seat during the crash, said Sgt. Alex Horcasitas of the New Mexico State Police. U.S. Border Patrol agents, first on the scene, began treating the child, who was then flown to University Medial Center in El Paso, he said.

Around 1:30 a.m., the FedEx truck, full of packages, crashed into the rear of a year 2000 extended-cab GMC pickup at mile marker 117 - a few miles west of the interstate Border Patrol checkpoint.

"It appears the passenger vehicle may have been stopped in the right lane with its flashers on, and the FedEx truck didn't have enough time to react or slow down and hit the back of that truck," Horcasitas said.

The vehicles came to rest on the shoulder of the road.

Venegas was believed to have been en route to Deming, taking the children to visit their father.

The FedEx truck was headed to Bowie, Ariz.

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, a community off I-10 near the New Mexico-Arizona line, said Erin Truxal, a Pennsylvania-based spokesperson for the company's corporate office.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are extended to the families and friends of those involved in this morning's tragic accident," Truxal said in an email. "We are cooperating fully with local authorities investigating the accident."

The FedEx vehicle was pulling tandem trailers.

The incident brought westbound I-10 traffic to a standstill for hours. Traffic backlogged at the Corralitos exit, where police blocked the interstate, and in Las Cruces, where drivers were re-routed via a frontage road.

The passenger truck had a Texas license plate, Horcasitas said. One of the trailers on the FedEx vehicle had an Indiana license plate. The other plates fell off during the crash.

Around 7 a.m., a single westbound lane was reopened, said Bridget Spedalieri, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. By 10:45 a.m., both lanes had reopened.

A fund to help pay the funeral expenses of Venegas and her daughter has been set up in El Paso with Bank of the West. Donations can be made at that bank's branches or sent by mail to the main location, 500 N. Mesa St., El Paso, Texas, 79901. Contributors should specify the fund's name, "Morga Family Memorial Fund."

Anyone questioning the status of FedEx packages that may have been involved in the crash can check their shipments online at fedex.com or by phone (800)-GOFEDEX, Truxal said.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443

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(3:05 p.m. update)

LAS CRUCES - A baby who survived a crash that claimed the lives of three other people early Wednesday morning on Interstate 10 is in stable condition, state police said.

State police still aren't releasing the identities of the child or the three people who died, saying they're waiting to notify next-of-kin.

The child, just over a year old, was in a car seat during the crash, said Sgt. Alex Horcasitas of the New Mexico State Police. U.S. Border Patrol agents, first on the scene, began treating the child, who was then flown to University Medial Center in El Paso, he said.

"We're told that passenger is stable condition," he said.

A FedEx tractor-trailer full of packages crashed into the rear of a 2000 extended-cab GMC pickup at mile marker 117 - a few miles west of the interstate Border Patrol checkpoint. The passenger truck was on the shoulder or may have been in the roadway, police said.

"As to whether the vehicle was parked or moving slowly, the investigation is still ongoing," he said. "We don't want to be releasing anything that's inaccurate."

Two people in the passenger truck died, as did the driver of the FedEx truck.

The crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. It brought westbound I-10 traffic to a standstill for hours. Traffic backlogged at the Corralitos exit, where police blocked the interstate, and in Las Cruces, where drivers were re-routed via a frontage road.

The passenger truck had a Texas license plate, Horcasitas said. One of two tandem trailers on the FedEx vehicle had an Indiana license plate. The other plates fell off during the crash.

Around 7 a.m., a single westbound lane was reopened, said Bridget Spedalieri, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. By 10:45 a.m., both lanes had reopened.

However, the interstate could close intermittently to for wreckage to be cleared, Horcasitas said.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443

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(8:35 a.m. update)
LAS CRUCES - State police are in the process of recreating an accident scene on Interstate-10 west of Las Cruces in which three people were killed and another person, possibly a child, was airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso.

The accident, shortly after 1:30 a.m. near mile marker 117 - near the Border Patrol checkpoint, involved a FedEx semi-trailer and a pickup, according to the New Mexico State Police. It appears the truck was parked on the shoulder or possibly in the road, said NMSP spokesman Sgt. Tim Johnson.
Police have not identified the victims, nor where they lived, pending notification of family members, he said.

Sun-News staff on scene observed a body being removed from the FedEx truck's cab.

"About 1:30 a.m. the Border Patrol was apprised of this accident," Johnson said. "They got on scene and called state police." he said.

The Las Cruces Police Department and the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department are assisting in the investigation, and with traffic control.

Bridget Spedalieri, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, said the westbound lanes were closed through the early morning hours, but one lane has now been reopened.

The investigation could take several hours, Johnson said.

Unconfirmed reports from the scene indicate the person flown to UMC in El Paso may have been an infant or toddler. State police declined to confirm this allegation.

Check back for updates as they become available.

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(6:33 a.m. update)

LAS CRUCES - State police are investigating a deadly accident on Interstate-10 West of Las Cruces.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation is assisting law enforcement with a road closure at mile post 127 due to a fatal accident at mile post 117. Motorists were re-routed back to Las Cruces through the early morning hours, according to NMDOT officials. Drivers are asked to use caution and avoid going west on the interstate if possible. As of 6:30 a.m., one westbound lane was open and traffic was stop-and-go, although the scene remains under investigation.

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Three people were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 1:30 a.m. near the Border Patrol checkpoint, according to our media partners at KFOX TV.

A FedEx truck and a pickup were westbound on the interstate when the accident took place. Those involved have yet to be identified. The station is reporting one child was airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso.

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